Ammon News - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any deal with Iran, as his administration played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough ​in the three-month-old war that had been raised a day earlier.

The U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would "remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and ‌signed," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Both sides must take their time and get it right," he added.

There was no immediate response from Iran's government. But Tasnim news agency, which is linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said the U.S. was still obstructing parts of a potential deal, including Tehran's demand for the release of frozen funds.

A day earlier, Trump said Washington and Iran had "largely negotiated" a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which before the conflict carried one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

The two sides remain ​at odds on several difficult issues, such as Iran's nuclear ambitions, Israel's war in Lebanon with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia and Tehran's demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars ​of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.

WORKING OUT DEAL'S DETAILS
A senior Trump administration official told reporters an agreement would not be signed on Sunday, saying that the Iranian system ⁠did not move fast enough. But he outlined what he said were the latest contours of what was being negotiated.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Iran had agreed "in principle" to open the Strait of Hormuz, in exchange ​for the United States lifting its naval blockade, and to dispose of Tehran's highly enriched uranium.

He said the U.S. understood Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had endorsed the broad template of the deal.
There was no immediate confirmation from Iran or ​elaboration on what an "in principle" agreement meant.

The U.S. official said Washington envisioned first re-opening the strait and lifting the U.S. naval blockade. Negotiating the details of the nuclear measures would take more time, he said.

He pushed back on suggestions that Iran has not accepted disposing of its stockpiled enriched uranium. "It's a question about how," the official said.

A second senior administration official said on Sunday that the proposed framework would give negotiators 60 days to reach a final deal.

Iranian sources had told Reuters that in future stages, "feasible formulas" could be found to resolve the ​dispute over its highly enriched uranium stockpile, including diluting the material under the supervision of the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Iran has long denied U.S. and Israeli accusations that it is pursuing nuclear weapons and says it has a right to enrich uranium ​for civilian purposes, although the purity it has achieved far exceeds that needed for power generation.

Reuters